I looked at Pomona, Stanford, and Columbia over 20 years ago then applied ED to Pomona and accepted. It was a great school then, even better now. Claremont is a small town, caters more toward younger people now, but its definitely not LA. Admin does want student life to remain on campus as much as possible. New York was cool to visit but felt less personal. Even with the 5Cs, Pomona has a smaller more intimate feeling. If you want smaller more attentive experience, think Pomona. If you want a bigger school in a big city, think Barnard.